Defeating Project D
by CMDR-Sweeper
Summary: Project D is about to finish up their runs and have won all battles up til now.But in the background of all the previous battles a man has been observing them.He is their next opponent and has allready hatched a plan on how to defeat Project D.
1. Spotting the problem

Author notes: This is my first story here, but I cannot seem to preserve the format of the story though, paragraphs doesn't exactly line up the way I want it to.

So please bear with it for now.

**CHAPTER 1: Spotting the problem**

The night in the mountain pass was cold and a man had finished watching what he came for

Man: "Just as I thought."

The man got into his car and drove off, heading back home after having watched a battle.

He knew his team was next up against Project D and he had watched all of the previous battles and were quite impressed with the results.

That man was Ryo Takashi, he was known as the fastest at his own mountain pass, fastest on the downhill and he had set the AE86 in his sights.

He drove home in his Toyota Altezza having formed a plan to some extent.

But also with a shock, the uphill section was impressive and hard to cover.

Once he got home he looked in his garage at his GT300 machine that he bought.

Back in 2003 ASL decided to retire their Garaiya for a revision and it was sold off to the public.

Takashi had bought it as a replacement for his last car, but by no means was Takashi a poor man.

In fact if you compared him to the Takahashi he was a lot wealthier.

Takashi: "I cannot run both uphill and downhill, it will be too stressing.

Oh well, I will have to sort that out with the team tomorrow."

Takashi went to bed after looking at his car and the next day he headed out to the local pub they used to hang out in.

The other team members had already arrived.

Outside the pub there was parked some rather impressive cars.

A Subaru Impreza WRX STi version 3, Lancer Evolution 7 RS, Nissan Pulsar GTi, Mazda RX-7 first generation SA22C and a Toyota Supra RZ.

Takashi went inside and one of the team members at the other side of a table howled at him to come over.

"Over here Ryo."

Ryo: "Ah there you are Akira."

Ryo went over the table and sat down with his team mates.

Akira: "So what's your result from watching Project D last night?

Ryo: "That it is going to be tough, very tough."

The owner of the EVO 7 bursted out:

"That can't be so, I mean come on just a FD and an old outdated AE86?"

Ryo: "You didn't see them Seji, I watched them with my own eyes.

I may be able to take on that AE86 driver but the uphill is impossible with just 300 HP and the stress from also racing the AE86."

Akira: "Shut up I can take on that FD, after all I got a 450 HP Subaru Impreza and it is the version 3, the most tail happy Impreza ever seen or driven.

And with my skill I cannot possibly lose to some FD."

Ryo: "Akira, you cannot defeat that FD no matter what you did, I saw him against a high power R34 both GT Turbo and GT-R and may I say that it is going to be impossible for you, even with your skills."

Akira: "So you just want to give up on the uphill?"

Ryo: "No, I slept badly tonight, and fell asleep late.

I was thinking of a solution and I believe we have."

Seji: "Well if it is not Akira or me who is going to drive and not you, who will? Certainly not Yuji and his Supra? He is too heavy."

"You plan on letting me do it then?" the man closest to the wall said.

Ryo: "No neither Seji, Akira, Yuji or you Miki can do this.

Neither can I pull this off, no matter how hard I tried."

Miki: "Then stop keeping us on the sideline then, tell us what you have planned."

Ryo: "We will have to get some outside team help, I have heard he was in Japan right now and he brought his car as well for some reason.

He is a FD driver."

Akira: "What about Tomihiro and his RX-7 then? There must be someone in the team that can drive."

Tomihiro: "Thanks but no thanks, I refuse to battle Project D, I have heard about them and I don't want anything to do with them in a battle."

Ryo: "Well, I am an old friend of this man we can employ.

And tell you what I think he might just do it, he is fast.

DAMNED fast actually he is so fast that I often believe when I see him that it is impossible to drive a car like he does."

Seji: "So how do you know him?"

Ryo: "Back before I settled here in Japan I used to be a mercenary.

I worked on several occasions with that man, though they say he is still a mercenary but at the same time he is racing whenever he can."

Akira: "Well I guess that makes him crazy in his driving, just like you are."

Ryo: "I may be slightly crazy but this guy in comparison is a total nutcase once he is told to go fast.

If my calculations are correct, the FD kid in Project D will have no chance of keeping up."

Akira: "WHY THE HELL IS WE STANDING AROUND HERE FOR THEN?

Hurry up and give him a call, and hear what he has to say."

Ryo: "Allright I will do that, we will meet on the peak tonight anyways for the regular practice, the match is set for the next weekend."

Ryo left the table and headed out to his Altezza and drove off towards home and while driving he called his old friend.

The phone rang 5 times before it was picked up.

Ryo: "Sweeper? Is that you?"

Sweeper: "Yeah, who is this?"

Ryo: "Old friend of yours Ryo Takashi, remember me?"

Sweeper: "Ryo Takashi? Of course I remember you.

I still remember a few of the battles we had together, those were the days."

Ryo: "Well I called you mainly because I got a problem that I think you can help me solve."

Sweeper: "A problem? Sorry I do not use my mercenary experience to exterminate rats…" Sweeper laughed.

Ryo couldn't help but laugh back.

Ryo: "Actually it is related to racing. I hear you are still racing?"

Sweeper: "Well… I guess that's right I did bring my car.

In fact I am currently on my way to the hotel right now, what is the favour you need?"

Ryo: "Well, it is rather simple I heard you would be staying in Japan for a few weeks."

Sweeper: "That's about right, have a few meetings to attend as a security advisor the next week and the week after that before I head back to Turkey for some R&R."

Ryo: "We got this Project D coming over and quite frankly their website pisses me off.

Anyways we have a match scheduled next weekend and we lack a skilled uphill driver.

And then I thought of you, would you mind stepping in?"

Sweeper: "Well I have heard about Project D.

They are undefeated so far right? Despite some rather dirty tactics used as well.

Well maybe I should rather ask when you normally practice."

Ryo: "Well it is tonight at around 2000 hours."

Sweeper: "Well I am currently in Tokyo; I will show up and have a look before I commit to anything.

But most of all I would like to catch up on old times."

Ryo: "Well that you cannot get away from, no matter how fast you drive." Ryo laughed.

Sweeper: "That's a deal then, see you tonight then."

Ryo: "Ok." Ryo hung up and drove home.


	2. Practice session begins

**CHAPTER 2: Practice session begins.**

Ryo had arrived at the mountain pass and had told his team members that Sweeper was going to show up.

Akira: "I doubt he will be here, let alone accept it.

I don't trust army kids."

Ryo: "When Sweeper says he will be here he will be here, no matter what.

After all being on time is something that is normal in the army."

Miki: "You are right; it is only 19:45 he still has 15 minutes to show up."

Akira: "I still doubt…"

In the horizon they heard a loud rotary sound.

Ryo: "You still doubt he will show up?"

Around the corner a FD came sideways and accelerated towards the parking lot before stopping.

Out of the car an American looking guy stepped out and looked at Ryo.

Sweeper: "So this is the place you run at? Well I tried to be earlier but I had to take a few looks at this pass first."

Ryo: "It is fine Sweeper; you are actually 15 minutes early."

Sweeper: "Oh I didn't notice."

Akira: "I expected a Japanese driver and not some American Gaijin."

Ryo: "Shut up Akira, he is not an empty airhead and I suggest you watch your mouth."

Sweeper: "I guess we foreigners ain't so popular in Japan, well let him have his rant I don't really care.

Anyways Ryo what can you tell me of Project D? Knowing you I guess you have been watching them for quite some time."

Ryo: "Well, they are fast; I plan to take the downhill against their AE86."

Sweeper: "AE86 eh? That is quite a surprise."

Ryo: "Make no mistake it is very fast, I checked its record it has beaten quite a few people.

Even a pro driver in an EK9 Civic Type R."

Sweeper: "Interesting, what about the uphill driver, the one I am supposed to take on?"

Ryo: "He is damn fast, he is good at tackling high power cars and he is already called _the FD specialist _and he drives a 1993 Mazda RX-7 with some body kit mods and a power output rated at 350 HP."

Sweeper: "Well his car alone will lose towards mine but his skill sounds interesting.

FD Specialist eh? I guess I got to show him who's the FD specialist."

Ryo: "So are you going to do it?"

Sweeper: "Having seen what I have seen and heard what I have heard I would love to test myself against this guy.

Besides I doubt he is the true FD specialist, that's a title I got when I raced in the World Cup series."

Miki: "World Cup series?"

Sweeper: "Yes it is a series of semi Street and track racing, not fully authorized so we never get called pro drivers on paper like those in F1 racing.

But nevertheless we are equal in skills if not better and we race our own cars.

I have been racing this FD up till last year actually, that's when I got beaten and sabotaged by some kid in a Trans Am.

I changed cars and got a monster machine built after that, and that is the machine I use this year that is coming up as well."

Ryo: "A monster machine? Care to tell what it is?"

Sweeper: "That is a big secret actually, I have test driven it and I am very happy about its performance but I believe this FD should suffice for this upcoming race.

350 HP is nothing compared to the 1500 HP GT-R's I have faced in the World Cup series."

Ryo: "Don't underestimate them Sweeper, they may have a lot of skill to give you a pain in the butt."

Sweeper: "Yeah, that's what I am hoping for. I will NOT underestimate my opponent, in fact I think I will overestimate him instead, prepare for the worst and hope for the best."

Tomihiro: "What have you done to this poor FD then?"

Sweeper: "You would be surprised…"

Sweeper popped the hood of the FD and left the drivers door open.

Ryo and his team members gathered around the car and got a shock when looking under the hood of the FD.

Tomihiro: "Man, just looking at this gives me the chills.

A 4 rotor dual 13B power plant is every RX-7 drivers dream, but mostly they go NA.

You got it TURBO CHARGED!"

Sweeper: "Yeah, I needed that to match the speed of some of the other guys in the world cup, but that's not the biggest surprise and strength of this car."

Akira: "How high can you rev this engine?"

Sweeper: "Well, the normal rev limiter is set to 9000 but I guess for the battle I will stretch it a bit."

Tomihiro: "Just a 9000 RPM rev limit isn't the optimal for a rotary of this calibre; you have PERIPHERAL PORTS for Christ's sake."

Sweeper: "Oh that, well I still got the original ports too, notice that box over there?" Sweeper pointed "Well that's a special electronic circuit, works kind of like a VTEC system does, at 7000 RPM the normal ports starts to close up and the peripheral ports opens up to unleash the extra 300 HP.

It is strong on engine wear but for a racing engine it is great and when driving it around the block on normal ports it is great but not too powerful."

Ryo: "How much is the power output?"

Sweeper: "Like I said it was made to compete with monster machines, I think it was around 1200 HP or 1100HP or so.

I don't really remember the number exactly."

Akira: "1200 HP! That's insane how do you keep the wheels planted?"

Sweeper: "Well let's look at the interior then."

Sweeper closed the hood and lead around to the drivers side where he pointed towards the gear shifters.

Sweeper: "The answer to that question is right there."

Akira peeked in and noticed there were 2 handles."

Akira: "What the hell! Two handles for just shifting gears?"

Sweeper: "No, the 2nd one is a part of the custom designed gearbox I had to have.

Its job is to shift from FR to 4WD when driving or put it in AWD mode, same type that the Skyline GT-R uses."

Ryo: "4WD, isn't that a bit heavy?"

Sweeper: "Well the car gets heavier than your standard FD, but I have lightened up most components that are possible to get lighter in a FD, and the AWD system is using lightweight and reliable parts as well.

The total weight tips the scales around 1 ton or so."

Seji: "How much did this machine cost you to build and run?"

Sweeper: "Ahem, that's something I cannot express in numbers, but I can tell you this it really teared into my accounts.

And in case you wonder the work I do pays quite a bit so you can guess that this thing is certainly not cheap.

I bet I could probably buy several Ferrari Enzos for the same price."

Tomihiro: "Well why didn't you just buy a faster car then?

Instead of spending so much on a FD."

Sweeper: "Well, I am used to FD's, it was the FD that changed my racing career and style and made it possible for me to get better.

I don't feel like swapping cars, besides I have tried quite a few but I keep coming back to this 1998 model of a RX-7.

The 98' Type RS is the best RX-7 ever built in my opinion and it really suits my driving style."

Ryo: "Well I think that Takahashi Keisuke of project D will have his hands full when it comes to this machine."

Sweeper: "Well I wonder how he will drive, but I'll do it."

Ryo: "You already said you would."

Sweeper: "Well, I have done my runs on the uphill of this course,  
do you mind recording a video for me so I can watch it?"

Ryo: "Not a problem, I think Akira here is the one most suited to do that, he is the fastest one we have on the uphill.

Him and his 4WD Impreza."

Akira: "Well I guess I could do that… But I still don't like that Gaijin."

Sweeper: "Well I will be heading back to the hotel, here is the address." Sweeper handed Ryo a note with the address on it.

"Just deliver the tape to the reception as a message to room 333.

I will pick it up when I am done with the days work."

Ryo: "Not a problem Sweeper."

Sweeper got into his FD and took off.

Ryo got out the camera he had kept in his Garaiya for street racing purposes and handed it to Akira.

Ryo: "Now get that tape done, and do it properly.

Take Yuji with you, he is the one most skilled with electronics and camera work."

Akira took the camera and gave Ryo a bit annoyed look but at the same time that he hated doing something for a Gaijin he knew if they did a bad job the team might lose and that was bad.

Yuji took the camera from Akira and got into the passenger seat.

Akira took off with the Impreza and headed down to start on the uphill.

The day afterwards Ryo was heading into Tokyo in his Altezza to deliver the video tape they shot on Sunday.

He handed it to the receptionist and left heading for home to do his preparations for the upcoming race.


	3. Practice night

**CHAPTER 3: Practice night.**

Saturday came and the mountain was set for the race.

The team had already met up in preparation for the race except Sweeper.

Akira: "Sweeper is going to be late."

Ryo: "Tactics Akira, he doesn't want to give them any time to crack out any winning strategy by either recognising him or by seeing the car.

He is just being cautious as usual, I bet he is watching somewhere on the course though.

He did say to me that he was interested in seeing how the AE86 drove."

Miki: "I just hope we can win tonight."

Ryo: "Well we can afford to lose one race, as in total they got no chance of changing the record.

And I'll tell you up front the weak link here is me.

Sweeper will most likely slaughter that FD guy, Takahashi Keisuke."

Akira: "You really have that much fate in him?"

Ryo: "He is in the world-class and I have seen those he battles, heck I even tried a short race against one of them once.

I was totally outrun, with no chance whatsoever to catch up.

And should Sweeper lose, there will be a massive commotion up in the ranks of those racers.

A lot of strange people will be here to battle Project D; even that 1500 HP Skyline GT-R guy that they say is Brazil's fastest.

They actually call him _Speedy Gonzales_; his real name is actually Carlos I have heard.

Or at least that's the name he likes to use."

Yuji: "A 1500 HP GT-R is no joke Akira, I have seen a 900 HP R34 GT-R doing its rips on the track and the drag strip.

Those things are unbelievably fast."

Akira: "But…"

Around the corner several cars came rolling with a FD in front, a yellow FD.

Ryo: "They are here, Project D!"

They pulled into the parking lot and started unloading their van.

Ryo looked at the men and quickly recognised the leader.

Ryo: "So this is the team that is undefeated, no wonder, their leader is quite skilled and knows how to use his brain.

But still, there is no way you can win on the uphill today."

A man with a red T-shirt approached Ryo and greeted him in a friendly manner.

Fumihiro: "I am Fumihiro, spokesperson of the Project D racing team.

Is it ok that we practice on the course tonight with the race being tomorrow?"

Ryo turned towards Akira who nodded.

Ryo: "Yeah, that's fine with us. However be careful around those tight hairpins.

They look like easy ones, however they are difficult to handle.

You will notice the skid marks there, just don't run off the road, it was a real mess the last time somebody lost control there."

Fumihiro: "Thanks, we understand and thank you for the advice."

Fumihiro left and headed back towards Ryosuke and Seji turned towards Ryo.

Seji: "Why did you warn them about the hairpins?"

Ryo: "Because the last time someone nearly got killed there! And I do NOT want that to happen again if it can be avoided.

Besides those corners are treacherous, challenging team or not I don't want to see people crash there!"

Miki: "Anyways are we going to watch them practice?"

Akira: "Of course, I am sure Sweeper is further down the course keeping an eye on them.

But to give you guys a taste, try chasing them and see if you guys can keep up.

Akira, Yuji and Seji you try the uphill and Miki and Tomihiro you take the downhill.

Now I think you guys will realise the difference in skill.

I'll be up here for a bit and see what I can pick up before I head down and watch from a corner."

The team drivers got into their cars and the uphill drivers headed out first as they had to get to the base of the mountain and wait for Keisuke.

Tomihiro started up his first generation RX-7; he had done a newer 13B replacement for more reliability and power.

He gave it a few quick revs and let it idle waiting for the AE86 to take off.

Miki did the same thing with his Nissan Pulsar, a failed rally car in Nissan's eyes, but a good street racing machine in people's eyes.

The mechanics finished the work on the AE86 and Fujiwara got in, started it up and rolled out on the course.

Tomihiro and Miki quickly followed and tried their best to keep up and observe what they could.

Ryo kept watching Ryosuke and the mechanics and was slightly impressed.

Ryo: "They got what it takes to join the lower ranks of the World Cup…

And here I am sending the best from the World Cup series at them, but I guess it will be a nice lesson for their team."

Half of the practice runs were over and Sweeper had watched the yellow FD go through corners and wasn't very impressed.

He pulled out his cell phone and called Ryo.

Ryo: "Ryo" Ryo answered as he picked up the phone.

Sweeper: "Sweeper here, I have been watching the runs of the FD guy so far, I am not very impressed though.

I thought of giving him a scare in life."

Ryo: "Sure thing, speaking of scare, I sent my team boys to follow the Project D on the practice run.

A bit unorthodox perhaps but it was a good experience for them, well maybe not Akira, he keeps saying you will lose."

Sweeper: "Never say that until the race is over and the cars have crossed the finish line.

Because in the World Cup it is like that, you cannot tell who is going to win due to unforeseen things like engine failures and off-road runs."

Ryo: "Well just play with Keisuke, where are you by the way?"

Sweeper: "In a bush, shortly after the beginning of the uphill section, have seen the driving pretty good though."

Ryo: "Take care then, I guess it is a waste of breath to tell you to take it easy?"

Sweeper: "Correct" Sweeper hung up and got into his FD, waiting for the yellow FD to show up.

The yellow FD blew past him and Sweeper pulled out of the bush area and did a full pursuit of Keisuke on the uphill section.

It didn't take long before he was close to Keisuke's tail.

Sweeper: "CAUGHT YA!"

Keisuke looked in his rear view and spotted the blue RX-7.

Keisuke: "What the? Who is driving that car? Damn, well if you want to play with me on a practice run you will get burned!"

Keisuke slammed the accelerator to the floor and started pulling away from Sweeper's FD.

Sweeper: "Hey, hey don't get overconfident now FD kid, I got over 1000 HP here, there is no escape on the straights!"

As Keisuke checked his mirrors again he noticed the FD was right on his bumper again.

Keisuke: "WHAT? What is up with that FD, it must have more power than me since it caught up so quickly and the fact that I am still flooring it.

I will end this in the corners up ahead then!"

The first 90 degree right hand corner was coming up at an amazing speed.

Keisuke slammed on the clutch and stepped hard to the brakes to shift the weight quickly and get it sideways.

As he looked out the side window the corner passed quickly, Keisuke felt assured he was winning.

Then when he looked the other way he saw the blue FD sideways at the same speed, not further away from his FD than 3cm.

Keisuke: "WHAT! You crazy son of a bitch, that is just too close!"

Keisuke quickly straightened out his car and tried to pull away from Sweeper but Sweeper let him get away a short moment just to have some distance between the cars.

Sweeper: "Just as I thought, that FD kid wasn't as good as I thought he would be.

Well I shouldn't draw any conclusions yet, we will have to see in the high speed section that is coming up before the nasty hairpins, if he fails to impress me by then I guess I will just have to end it."

Keisuke kept his accelerator floored and constantly checking the rear view mirror.

Keisuke: "Damnit! I am driving as hard as I dare through these high speed corners yet that FD guy can keep up.

Just who the hell is he?"

The last high speed corner flew by and a short straightaway was coming up.

Keisuke had already seen the danger of the corner on the video and began slowing down.

Sweeper: "Why are you braking here junior?"

Sweeper blew past Keisuke's FD.

Keisuke: "WHAT! This is a dangerous hairpin, you cannot overtake here.

It may look like a sloppy left turn then followed by a right but it is just an illusion.

You will end crashing at that speed."

Sweeper dipped the clutch and started the braking hard and at the same time releasing the clutch every now and then while shifting down to uses the engine braking.

Keisuke noticed the backfire from the blue FD.

Keisuke: "Still you are braking too late; there is no way you can recover from that."

But to Keisuke's amazement not only was the FD over speeding in his eyes but it was also following a perfect line through the corner, it would seem like the driver was breaking all the laws of physics.

At the last left hand corner out of the hairpins Keisuke noticed the strong acceleration of Sweeper's FD.

Keisuke: "Just who the hell is the driver of that car! He is just plain outright crazy."

5 minutes later up at the top of the mountain Ryo was still observing Ryosuke briefing the mechanics when he heard tire squalling and a loud rotary sound.

Around the corner came a blue FD at a high speed.

Ryosuke turned towards the noise and spotted the FD pass while shifting up with a loud sound from the blow off valve.

30 seconds after Keisuke's FD came running up the same route, he slided and parked next to one of the vans before he got out and ran towards Ryosuke.

In the background Ryo was just laughing to himself, he had just witnessed the after effects of Sweeper's driving.

Keisuke: "Aniki! Did you see that FD!"

Ryosuke: "You mean that blue FD? I saw it pass by anything special about it?"

Keisuke: "It totally outran me, I tried my best but it was like it was avoiding the laws of physics."

Ryosuke: "What are you saying? Was it from their team?"

Keisuke: "No it couldn't be because it wasn't here earlier.

It just came up behind me all of a sudden, and as I was trying to outrun it.

He just kept up and not only that, his cornering was UNREAL!"

Ryosuke: "Interesting, I will have to ask you more questions after this battle is over, until then continue with your practice if you can.

Just try to calm down."

Ryo laughed and got into his car and started heading home.

He had seen enough, there wasn't likely they would try to go all out again not with him looking anyways and after Sweeper really shook up their uphill driver.

There was certainly not much left for him to do.

Outside his house he found Sweeper leaning on his FD.

When he saw Ryo come home he got up and walked towards the garage.

As Ryo got out he met Sweeper.

Sweeper: "Did you see that kids face? You should have seen it when I passed him in those hairpins.

It was priceless."

Ryo: "Oh yeah, I overheard their conversation, they wonder who that blue FD guy was now.

Most of all he said you broke all the possible laws of physics."

Sweeper: "Actually it simpler than that, that kid… what was his name again?"

Ryo: "Takahashi Keisuke."

Sweeper: "Keisuke, well that FD kid sucks at using the full potential of his tires.

He cannot use more than 70 of the grip he had available.

I used 100 of it in comparison and the fact that I had to practice on distribution of braking power, acceleration, turning radius all that to make the car move as I wanted it to.

That Keisuke overdoes things and cannot push it properly.

He is not worthy of the FD Specialist title."

Ryo: "Hey, hey, these guys aren't World Cup class, so you cannot expect them to put up as much fight as that Carlos guy."

Sweeper: "I guess so, but it was worth it.

The look on Keisuke's face will be something I will remember for the rest of my life."

Ryo: "You ain't alone on that; you should have seen it as he exited the car."

Sweeper: "I guess he was also affected by the fact that I was 3cm away from him in a drift."

Ryo: "You were 3cm away from him? MAN you are crazy."

Sweeper: "It didn't feel crazy to me."

Ryo: "Well it is getting late; I need some sleep to prepare for tomorrow night."

Sweeper: "Well me too, I'll be heading back, see you tomorrow then."

Sweeper got into the FD and drove off laughing to himself as he watched the image of Keisuke's face as he passed him.


	4. Battle night

**CHAPTER 4: Battle night.**

Ryo's team, The Helldogs had gathered on the hill and was preparing for the downhill.

Fumihiro approached Ryo.

Fumihiro: "Who is your uphill driver tonight? Where is he?"

Ryo: "He will be arriving at the base later; he had a few things to take care of first, so we will do the downhill first."

Fumihiro: "Ok, let's get started then."

Fumihiro turned towards the rest of Project D.

Fumihiro: "Please line up your cars; we will do the downhill first, 86 vs. the GT300 Garaiya."

Ryo got into his GT300 car and closed the door; he looked over the dashboard before he started the engine.

The dashboard in a JGTC car wasn't much of a looker but it had its charm.

Ryo pulled up to the start line and stepped on the clutch before he yanked the handbrake.

Then Ryo started revving his engine, seeing as it was a JGTC engine it had quite a loud exhaust sound.

Ryo: "When it comes to engine power I have the definite advantage, a 2 litre turbo charged inline 4.

In the handling department I should also have some tricks to show off seeing as I got downforce and wider tires.

But then again, it all boils down to driver vs. driver and that's where I am unsure if I can beat him."

He looked over to his right and at the AE86 driver that had just pulled up to the starting line.

Ryo: "No matter what happens I feel assured we can win on the uphill, after Sweeper's performance earlier I had all my doubts erased."

Miki got up to Ryo's driving door and Ryo lowered the window.

Miki: "Just don't overdo it Ryo, they say he is crazy."

Ryo: "I know. I am planning to let him go ahead so I can observe him for a while.

But even so I hope I can hang on to that AE86 driver."

Miki: "Just don't crash…" Miki left Ryo and went back to the parking lot.

Then he started thinking.

"Ryo, we might lose tonight, I saw the AE86's driving skills up close, not even my 4WD Turbo could catch him, and he is a monster.

What I don't understand is why you are so relaxed?

Yuji failed to keep up with Keisuke and he has 600 HP on his Supra, you really must be having confidence in that Sweeper guy."

Fumihiro: "Ok let's start, 5 seconds till start!"

"5"

"4"

"3"

"2"

"1"

"GO!"

Ryo released the handbrake and both cars launched ahead, just as Ryo planned he released the gas pedal and let the AE86 take the lead into the first corner.

He knew he had to have the advantage, and being the chaser meant he could observe the car ahead.

The speed through the corner was reckless, Ryo realised it quickly that this AE86 wasn't something he could relax against.

But on the straights he had the advantage as 300 turbo horses compared to 200 NA horses was no match at all.

Ryo: "Turbos are better at producing power than NAs, mainly because we can produce more torque giving us stronger acceleration out of a corner.

That's why I like turbo cars, though this GT car has a small turbo compared to the output of the NA power unit originally used in the Garaiya.

Though it comes at a cost, I am heavier than that AE86.

But I can still keep up thanks to superior grip from the JGTC tires."

The AE86 kept leading into corners at an amazing speed, speeds that wasn't normal driving for Ryo.

He had never had to push this hard during practice races.

Corners flew by and Ryo remained behind, until he realized they were closing in on the end.

There were several high speed corners ahead, if he was to stand any chance of winning he had to use his power to get away from the 86.

But the final corners on the course was low speed corners, so he had to put as much ground as possible on the straights and the high speed section.

Ryo: "The attack point is the 3 hairpins which fools a lot of drivers.

I normally don't try and overtake there but I got no choice today!"

The short straight before entry to the hairpins came up and Ryo floored the throttle and let the revs go up to 7200 before he shifted up.

He put his car in the outside lane and kept on accelerating up at the side of the 86.

Leaving a loud blow off valve sound from his turbo, after all it was a JGTC machine that had won the GT300 several times.

This time it was about winning a touge race, WRC cars may have been unfair to bring to the mountain pass but JGTC was even worse.

The entry to the hairpin came up, the 86 started braking and Ryo hesitated a bit and braked late before doing the turn in and blocking off the inside lane, preventing the 86 from getting ahead.

Ryo: "This is where I have to take the chance and win it, just don't overdo it and miss on the illusionary corners ahead."

Ryo pushed hard through and often had to let go off the gas, he was experiencing a lot of push understeer as he was taking the tires to their limit.

But it was allright, he had pushed this hard before, but only once he knew he could make it.

Ryo kept taking the racing line through the 3 S corners and accelerated fierce on the exit, leaving the AE86 behind due to lack of power.

Ryo: "This is where I will settle the match; I cannot have you gain on me through the high speed section!"

Ryo kept passing through the familiar high speed section as fast as his Garaiya allowed him to, and staying on the accelerator as much as he dared.

This was indeed a battle to the limit.

The 6 high speed turns passed quickly, and he entered the low speed section of the course.

Ryo gave the rear view one final look before he began braking.

There was no sign of the 86, he had left it somewhere behind.

Ryo braked as hard as he dared and did the turn in.

On the exit acceleration he had to take a quick look back and he saw the guardrail being lit up by headlights from a car.

Ryo: "What the! That's impossible; I drove as fast as possible and stayed on the accelerator as long as I could.

How can you keep up with me? It is impossible!"

During the next braking session the 86 was into view and was really catching up.

The good part was that Ryo was in the lead and still had some distance.

The bad part was that there were still 4 corners to go to the finish line; could he hang on for that long?

Ryo did a fast turning and accelerated shortly before he had to slam on the brakes again.

This time the AE86 caught up and was right on his bumper.

3 corners to go.

Ryo kept slamming on the accelerator, and he choose to take the inside, the 86 went for the outside for a pass but had to abort the attempt due to Ryo quickly picking up speed and flying towards the outside in a racing line style.

Ryo: "Damn that AE86 is tough! I can't shake him even though I am driving a GT300 car.

What a shock that is."

The next corner came up, Ryo charged in from the outside with late braking but that 86 entered the inside so well.

The 86 exited earlier than what Ryo had expected, he couldn't cut the inside of the corner and cut off the path of the 86 as he had planned.

Instead he was forced to run side by side with the 86.

This time he had the inside and the 86 the outside.

Ryo: "Side by side… I don't want to lose this battle! But I am losing."

The braking match begun, the 86 braked later than the GT300 machine.

Cutting off the inside path for Ryo, forcing him to slam on the brakes and let the 86 get ahead.

Once Ryo exited the corner, he saw the 86 charge for the finish line.

It was over; even the 300 Turbo horses couldn't catch the 86 in time.

He had lost on the downhill; he pulled into the parking lot next to the 86 and got out.

Ryo: "I lost… I can't believe I lost on my home turf!"


	5. The professional shows up

**CHAPTER 5: The professional shows up.**

Ryo looked over the 86 that was when he heard the rotary sound.

Around the corner Sweeper's FD came, it parked at the parking lot next to Ryo and Sweeper got out and approached Ryo.

Sweeper: "So, how did the race go?"

Ryo: "I lost… I don't know how but my GT300 car lost to an AE86!"

Sweeper: "Interesting, I wish I was here to look at the battle, would been interesting to see why he was so fast."

Ryo: "Are you going to go all out?"

Sweeper: "As all out as I need to go, but I doubt he has gotten better."

They waited for a while and the vans and a yellow FD came down the hill.

The FD went to the end of the short straight and turned around the FD to prepare for the uphill.

Sweeper: "Well I guess I got to get ready."

Keisuke remained in his RX-7 awaiting the uphill driver.

The shock came when he looked out the passenger side window and saw the blue FD pull up to the starting line.

Sweeper saw Keisuke and got out of his FD, Keisuke did the same.

Keisuke: "So you were the one that passed me while I was practicing the uphill?"

Sweeper: "If you are hinting at seeing an innocent blue mica FD I guess that would be me yes."

Keisuke: "That FD of yours… What the hell is it really? What have you done to it?"

Sweeper: "Quite a bit, but it is still a 98 RX-7 Type RS, though you may find that hard to believe."

Ryosuke called Keisuke over to the van and Sweeper just grinned as he got back in the FD.

Several more cars came down the hill and went into the parking lot.

They all went disappointed towards Ryo, knowing he had lost the downhill battle.

Akira: "I don't like saying this Ryo, but it is all up to the Gaijin right now, and I don't like it one bit!

If you had at least won…"

Miki: "If he had pushed harder he wouldn't be standing here now.

That 86 is damn fast."

Over at the Project D van, Ryosuke was talking to Keisuke.

Ryosuke: "I didn't think they would bring out that guy to do the uphill."

Keisuke: "Who is he?"

Ryosuke: "His name is Sweeper; he is the current leader of the World Cup series.

Take my word for it I don't think you can beat him."

Keisuke: "What's the World Cup?"

Ryosuke: "It is like pro racing for street racers, they gather all over the globe, Norway, Moscow, USA, Japan, Brazil and such known places where there are challenging courses.

There are several leagues you can enter, Sweeper is in the highest class battling it out with 1500 HP cars.

Often they hold class free races where all can participate, but it is rare that you do not see Sweeper on 1st place.

He is reckless, and he doesn't mind taking chances and he is also good at pushing hard.

I can't tell you any of his weaknesses because I haven't raced him."

Keisuke: "So he is tough eh?"

Fumihiro: "Yes Keisuke, you cannot get any worse opponent than somebody from the World Cup series.

I thought the pro racer they brought out earlier was going to be the worst in skill but when it comes to street professionals you cannot ignore the World Class drivers.

In a street race, no pro has a chance of beating a World Cup driver."

Ryosuke: "Fumihiro is right, Sweeper's strength from what I have heard is tire management, and he can manage the grip of tires to their full limit when it comes to cornering and braking.

That and chasing, Carlos hasn't won a single race when he was leading on Sweeper."

Keisuke: "So you want me to give up?"

Ryosuke: "No, but do not push too hard to keep up with him, if you do, you might get killed and I do not want that to happen against an opponent like that.

Even though you are fairly skilled, this guy is the true _FD specialist_ and he has skills you have yet to learn, though at least try to learn something from him as you drive, that way it will not be a total defeat for you Keisuke."

Keisuke walked back towards his FD and he shook his head as he looked at Sweeper who was sitting on the hood of his FD.

Keisuke: "World Cup driver eh?"

Sweeper: "That's what they say about me."

Keisuke: "Well, I am going to go all out on you this time, I will not lose to the same person TWICE!"

Sweeper: "I really hope so, last time I got kinda bored." Sweeper laughed and got into his car.

Keisuke thought to himself.

"There is no way I am going to lose to a Gaijin."

Then he got into his FD and strapped himself in.

Ryo approached Sweeper, and Sweeper lowered the window.

Ryo: "Well what's your plan? Do you have one?"

Sweeper: "Well, I am going to remain behind and observe until we reach the hairpins, just like I did last time.

I want to see if he has improved, and see if he can stop me from passing him there and observe his speed through them.

But no matter where I do it, the results will be the same."

Ryo: "I guess there is no use telling a maniac like you to take it easy?"

Sweeper just grinned back at Ryo.

Ryo: "I thought so."

Ryo went back to his car in anticipation of the race.

Fumihiro got in between the cars to prepare the countdown.

CHAPTER 6: A pro shows his true skills

Fumihiro: "Ok, 5 seconds till start."

"4"

"3"

"2"

"1"

"GO!"

Sweeper was a bit laidback on the start and let Keisuke take the lead while he followed.

Sweeper: "Now let's see if you have improved on the last few hours since you first saw me."

The low speed corners were a bit tough on them both but Sweeper managed to keep his distance to Keisuke.

There wasn't much of challenge for Sweeper, as he was used to low speed corners from his racing.

Back in Keisuke's car he didn't like what he saw.

Keisuke: "Damn, I can't broaden the distance between our cars, no matter how much I try.

I guess he is the true FD specialist."

Sweeper kept driving in the same stance Takumi did when he was delivering tofu, one hand supporting the head and the other on the wheel.

Seeing as Sweeper had mastered the principle of weight shifting he was able to turn the car without relying on the steering wheel alone.

A teaching that comes from Gum tape deathmatch normally, but Sweeper had learned it on his own, seeking the fastest drifting technique possible.

On the long straightaway after the low speed section it was easy keeping up with Keisuke.

Sweeper rode up on his side and waved at him once before Sweeper let off and fell behind him again.

Keisuke started bracing himself; he knew that the so called dangerous hairpins were ahead.

The hairpins that were said to have killed many drivers due to the optic illusion.

Ryo had mastered them, but even he had felt the fear of the hairpin corners.

Keisuke: "This time I can't let you use the same trick on me, I will definitely block you!"

Keisuke chose a line that blocked Sweeper's last line through the corner; he did his best to get through at the same line that Sweeper took.

Sweeper: "Impressive Keisuke, you learned after seeing me do it just once.

I got to commend you for that, and the bumps that exists in the corner, you know how to control the gas pedal well, but not well enough.

You are slightly slower in cornering speed since you waste a bit of the rear tires grip on slight wheel spin.

But even so, that move won't save you Takahashi Keisuke! I will just finish it a little bit later than what I hoped for.

The result will still be the same."

Sweeper floored it at the exit and kept the same distance to Keisuke's tail.

Keisuke: "He hesitated a bit at catching up from that corner, was I faster than him or was he just enjoying himself?

I can't tell, but nor can I spend time wondering about that."

Sweeper: "Well, on the next corner, it is time to end this.

You cannot escape my counter attack!"

Sweeper had so far been using only a small portion of the power available, from here on out it was about time to take the car to its full potential and end the battle and Project D in a blink of an eye.

After all he was so many leagues over Project D that if he kept on staying behind for much longer, the guys that he normally raced would have laughed of him.

Sweeper: "And I can't have anything like that happening!"

Sweeper got out of the hairpins and stepped on the clutch to shift up a gear and engage the AWD system.

The moment he released the clutch Sweeper went full throttle.

The engine quickly revved past 7000 and the exhaust note changed.

It changed from a regular rotary sound to a chainsaw like sound, it was loud as hell and for Keisuke it felt like he was being chased by a demon, a very noisy demon.

Sweeper used the Power FC module to set the rev limiter higher, fully aware that he was going to have to do a rebuild of the engine shortly afterwards.

The weak point with a rotary, they are too efficient at making power from low displacement so they do not last long, but for the benefits they provide, that's not a hard compromise to make.

The front tires dragged the RX-7 along and the rear pushed.

Its acceleration was tremendous, Sweeper quickly got up on Keisuke's side in preparation for the upcoming braking contest.

Keisuke had taken the inside and began slamming on the brakes at the same time that Sweeper did.

Sweeper braked earlier than usual on purpose instead of using trail braking and snapping the lead in front of Keisuke.

But the reason for Sweeper being so laid back was the upcoming straightaway prior to the last 2 corners, the car with the most power should use as much space as possible for acceleration when there is a straightaway.

Sweeper: "That was a lesson I had to learn the hard way in a race, but once you get a hang of it you can drive even faster!"

Keisuke felt sure he was faster out of the corner when he saw the blue FD blow past him at an amazing speed.

Keisuke: "If I didn't know FD's came without 4WD I would say that the blue FD had some sort of AWD system.

Its acceleration is simply unbelievable."

But it was over for Keisuke, Sweeper was running at his limit using engine braking and his own designed AWD system to simply dust Keisuke.

There was no way he could keep up; he was too short of power.

By the time Keisuke was braking from the straightaway Sweeper was on the way into the last corner.

Keisuke: "Just how much horsepower is that monster making?"

Sweeper got to the top of the mountain and was quickly declared the winner.

He stepped out of the car and waited for Keisuke who came around the corner.

Keisuke stopped next to Sweeper and got out of the car and turned towards Sweeper.

Keisuke: "Tell me Sweeper, what have you done to that car? Your acceleration was too great to be FR!"

Sweeper: "You noticed eh? Well telling you the truth, it is not just FR, I have an AWD system that allows me to both use FR and 4WD as it suits me.

It is a superb system."

Keisuke: "But why did you hang back the entire race then?"

Sweeper: "Out of curiosity I wanted to see with my own eyes why they call you the FD specialist, though after the hairpin for my honours sake I had to outrun you."

Keisuke: "So it all was just a play for you then?"

Sweeper: "Yeah somewhat, it was a good match though.

But if you really feel like getting back at me, continue practicing hard and challenge me in the World Cup."

Keisuke got silent and kept looking over Sweeper's '98 Type RS, it was a demon.

The blue lightning would be a suiting nickname for it.

But yet again, Sweeper had swapped it for a better car, which only meant that the boys up in the World Cup series were tough.

Minutes went by and the teams got up to see the final results for themselves.

They found Keisuke looking down on the tarmac and Sweeper sitting on the hood of his FD enjoying the air.

Ryo got out of his Garaiya and approached Sweeper.

Ryo: "So… Is there any use to ask how it went?"

Sweeper: "Just as I predicted, but he had improved though."

Akira walked over to Sweeper.

Akira: "So did you get defeated?"

Keisuke: "He may be a Gaijin but I lost to him, and badly as well.

Though I learned quite a bit from the match, one topic I should continue working on."

Sweeper: "Just what I hoped he would get out from this match.

After all he is a FD driver, they learn from their defeats, though I just hope he will challenge me to a rematch in the World Cup some day."

Seji: "So what are you going to do now?"

Sweeper: "Well I am heading back to the hotel for a boring week of lecturing on security before I head back home to Turkey.

By the way Ryo, you mind if we meet up some other time as well?"

Ryo: "Not at all, besides I had your money transferred to the account as thanks for your help."

Sweeper: "Not a problem Ryo, anytime I am around and you need a driver, you know who to call."

Ryo: "I guess so."

Sweeper got into his FD and lowered the window.

Sweeper: "I got to head out now, get some sleep for tomorrow's lectures.

Be seeing you later Ryo, oh and Takahashi Keisuke, thanks for the race.

Now go and improve your techniques, you know what you have to work on; here is my cell phone number.

Call me if you need any hints and tips I will try to help you as best as I can."

Sweeper handed Keisuke a card before he closed the window and drove off.

The blue FD disappeared around the corner.

Keisuke walked over to Ryosuke.

Ryosuke seemed to have quite a relief expression on his face.

Ryosuke: "You made it up in one piece, what was that card about?"

Keisuke: "He actually said he would help me improve for some reason."

Ryosuke: "Ah, he probably liked you as a fellow FD driver, and he saw your weaknesses when he was driving behind you.

I guess he will be kind to give you the tips you need.

Besides, he really wants to race you as an equal in the World Cup I guess."

Keisuke: "I am not so sure I want to head out and try the World Cup just yet."

Ryosuke: "Well, you will have to chose one out of two ways when you want to become a pro, either the street pro's or the track racing pro's.

I decided to chose neither, just don't do that Keisuke."

Ryosuke walked away and Ryo approached Keisuke.

Ryo: "The man got a point, but to participate in the World Cup you would need guts and madness.

Just as much as that 86 driver of yours got, I had the chance to join once but I got a bit scared you can say."

Keisuke: "Scared?"

Ryo: "Yeah, the tracks they challenge, the way the pro's takes the corners.

They will scare you to death nearly, Sweeper is probably the worst one to ride with on those courses, and I have ridden with him in his car and tell you what.

I nearly fainted while I was in the passenger seat, he is that crazy and yet again he got the guts to ask: _You caught flu or something?_ That is those guys in a nutshell for you."

Ryo left Keisuke pondering on the whole World Cup part.

Ryo knew that Sweeper had indeed put a scare in Project D, not only had he ended their record as undefeated but he also decided to teach away few techniques.

Ryo got into GT300 Garaiya and laughed to himself as he started the engine.

Ryo: "Sweeper… you are indeed special like they all said, I guess most of the rumours I have heard around you are true after all."

Ryo drove off, closely followed by the rest of the team.

This night was special, there was a cloudless sky and the stars where shining.

Though that night would most likely get burned into Keisuke's body, because he had lost a battle for the first time in Project D.

The Project D's onslaught had been stopped, by one man in his FD, a man that would continue to shake Japan up.

But that was something he wasn't aware of at this time, all he thought of was getting back home and get some rest and prepare for the next World Cup race that was coming up.

THE END


End file.
